Prior to next Tuesday's campaign kick-off event in Jerusalem, the Likud Beitenu campaign released an election campaign video on Wednesday evening, a frame-by-frame parody of the 2007 YouTube viral hit "The Harry Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise," Lahav Harkov noticed, but guess what, the party's campaigners had no idea.
The Likud Beitenu clip has finger puppets of Center and Left-Wing politicians chanting. Labor leader Shelly Yacimovich repeats "money and government," Meretz's Zehava Gal-On calls to "end the occupation, and Tzipi Livni says "to run or not to run," while Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz mumbles something unclear. Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid says phrases having to do with his good looks and wealth like "give me some gel" and "Crème Brule."
The Likud Beitenu clip has finger puppets of Center and Left-Wing politicians chanting. Labor leader Shelly Yacimovich repeats "money and government," Meretz's Zehava Gal-On calls to "end the occupation, and Tzipi Livni says "to run or not to run," while Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz mumbles something unclear. Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid says phrases having to do with his good looks and wealth like "give me some gel" and "Crème Brule."
In the Potter video, which has has 136 million hits, puppets representing the main characters of the book and movie series chant their names to a different beat.
In the middle of the 2007 hit video, Harry Potter and his least-favorite teacher, Snape, shout at each other: "Harry Potter! Snape! Harry Potter! Snape!"
In the 2013 election version, Likud and Mofaz get into a screaming match consisting of "The Tzipi Livni Party! Kadima! The Tzipi Livni Party! Kadima!"
Both end with an explosion and the puppets turning into confetti. Each bomb was laid by the respected universe's villain – Voldemort for Potter, and Ahmadinejad for the Likud Beytenu 's Israel – followed by them laughing at their success.
"Teeheehee. This is a bomb made for peace!" Ahmadinejad says.
Two of the Likud Beytenu 's campaigners, Nadav Scheindberg and Ron Levin, said they had never heard of The Harry Potter Puppet Pals. After viewing the clip, Levin admitted the similarities, but said: "There's no connection between the content and the characters in [the Harry Potter Puppet Pals and the Likud Beytenu campaign video], but they have the same motif, a puppet show," Levin explained.
Levin said the campaign sought to "emphasize that the heads of the Left-wing parties are acting like they're captive to slogans without any connection to reality, like puppets."
In the middle of the 2007 hit video, Harry Potter and his least-favorite teacher, Snape, shout at each other: "Harry Potter! Snape! Harry Potter! Snape!"
In the 2013 election version, Likud and Mofaz get into a screaming match consisting of "The Tzipi Livni Party! Kadima! The Tzipi Livni Party! Kadima!"
Both end with an explosion and the puppets turning into confetti. Each bomb was laid by the respected universe's villain – Voldemort for Potter, and Ahmadinejad for the Likud Beytenu 's Israel – followed by them laughing at their success.
"Teeheehee. This is a bomb made for peace!" Ahmadinejad says.
Two of the Likud Beytenu 's campaigners, Nadav Scheindberg and Ron Levin, said they had never heard of The Harry Potter Puppet Pals. After viewing the clip, Levin admitted the similarities, but said: "There's no connection between the content and the characters in [the Harry Potter Puppet Pals and the Likud Beytenu campaign video], but they have the same motif, a puppet show," Levin explained.
Levin said the campaign sought to "emphasize that the heads of the Left-wing parties are acting like they're captive to slogans without any connection to reality, like puppets."